A “clear” dialogue with muslimsIn France, with Muslims, the Catholic Church must develop a “clear, lucid and friendly dialogue, for we are friends of Muslims and want to go on being their friends”. Those words were spoken alongside the Assembly of French bishops in Lourdes by Msgr. Michel Dubost, bishop of Evry. He submitted to the French bishops a report on “Catholics and Muslims in today’s France”. It was the outcome of a workshop created for this purpose last year. In France, the Muslims are almost 4,155,000. The majority of them (2,900,000) come from Maghreb. They represent 7% of the population and about one third of them have French citizenship. They can rely on 1,500 places of worship and as many imams. “Today – said Bishop Dubost, – it is no longer possible to talk about immigrants, but we can talk about Muslims perfectly integrated in our society”. For this reason, the Church must also be ready “for dialogue”, and to “promote a society based on dialogue”. In the first case, the bishop invoked the need for a higher preparation and training for those who are going to dialogue with Muslims. In the second case, he talked about a “friendly and frank dialogue”, which does not hide problems, including religious freedom. “The liberty of changing religion – recalled the bishop, – is a right clearly stated in the Constitution”.Plenary assembly: commitment to bioethicsThe plenary assembly of the French bishops, which elected Archbishop André Vingt-Trois of Paris as President of the French Bishops’ Conference, ended in Lourdes on 8 November. In his concluding address, the Most Rev. Vingt-Trois said: “In a context more responsive to the shock of images than to the real importance of problems, we must be factors of serenity and calm. We must, above all, tackle our difficulties in the certainty that the ultimate purpose of God’s action is the happiness of man”. On the proposal of the Committee of studies and projects, chaired by Bishop Jacques Perrier of Tarbes and Lourdes, the bishops voted the setting up of three new workgroups on the following issues: “bioethics”, chaired by Archbishop Pierre d’Ornellas of Rennes; “religious indifference and visibility of the Catholic Church”, chaired by Bishop Claude Dagens of Angoulême; and “use and future of Church buildings”, chaired by Archbishop Roland Minnerath of Dijon.With regard to the workgroup on bioethics, Vingt-Trois, in his final speech, said: “our mission is that of alerting the conscience of our contemporaries. We realise that. Opportunities are not lacking. The forthcoming reform of the law on bioethics will bring important interventions on which a workgroup of our Conference is called to work. But, more profoundly, these attitudes express a state of mind, a mentality. So we all called to work in depth, wherever the human question, that of his dignity and vocation, is posed. We cannot remain silent when a kind of rampant exploitation of the human person takes hold”. And the archbishop continued by posing the question: “what do we want to achieve by using and exploiting the human being to satisfy our own desires?”. In this context can also be placed the opposition of the French bishops to the fund-raising appeal “Telethon”. “We admire the generosity that inspires those who participate in Telethon”. But “generosity does not justify everything. We hope everyone will reflect on this and especially that the grave questions we have raised, namely the use of embryonic stem cells for research and the media exploitation of young people suffering from life-threatening disease, be clarified”. Survey: the image of ChristianityThe majority of the French think that in contemporary society Christians “are sufficiently visible”, but only 4 French people out of 10 say they personally know a friend or neighbour who is a “practising” Christian or “engaged” in the life of the Church. That’s one of the findings that emerge from a survey realized by the polling agency IFOP at the request of the Catholic daily “La Croix” on “The future of Christianity”. The survey, conducted by IFOP from 31 October to 2 November, was recently published by the French daily. Anti-poverty campaign and actions for peace in the world: these are the two main missions that the French assign to the Churches for the 21st century. The first option wins the preference of the younger interviewees (65% of the under-35s); the second, that of the older (56% of the over 65s). One criticism, however, is almost unanimous: 70 % of the French consider that “Christians and their churches don’t know how to communicate with and reach out to the younger generations”, a figure that rises to 75% of the under-35s. This opinion is also shared by 64% of practising Catholics. Lastly, the majority of the French say they agree (62%) with the proposition that “all religions are of equal value”. The majority of practising Catholics (63%) also think so. Semaines Sociales: on sustainable development”Living differently, with a view to lasting and shared development”: that’s the theme chosen for this year’s Semaines Sociales in France, due to be held in Paris from 16 to 18 November. Some 4,000 people are expected to attend the event, important forum for lay Catholic debate in France. In presenting the theme, the President of the Semaines Sociales , Jerome Vignon, explains that the title chosen this year represents a “commitment to be made, characterized more by an active lifestyle than by fear of a catastrophe”. But it especially responds to an appeal recently made by the French bishops on the importance of embracing “new lifestyles”. The question – observes Vignon – “is felt strongly by public opinion” and is cause “for uncertainty that is widely shared in our European societies”. From the Semaines Sociales – continues Vignon – “a message of hope is awaited”, “a reminder to the political authorities” to assume “a long-term responsibility” and an appeal for “the criteria of economic efficiency, preservation of the environment and social justice to be harmoniously wedded”.
